I was never supposed to make it.
I was a high school dropout at 16.
By 18 I was a father.
Fighting for survival in a city that fights you back.
The odds were stacked against me. Against all of us.
And I took that personally.
I worked 7 days a week in my dad’s clothing store. As a kid I’d watched him go from selling out of a van in the streets to opening a small shop in Memphis, and I was determined to keep his dream alive.
I was obsessed.
Obsessed with learning about fashion, what customers liked and didn’t like, what made brands special. What made brands last.
If I was bored, I’d clean. I couldn’t sit still. I had to keep moving.
It took years for me to save up the money to start my brand.
Years.
But I always believed.
Because for me, it was personal.
Each of us has something we’re fighting for.
Something we protect.
I did all of this for my family.
What are YOU doing it for?
-A
